Last night’s new Torchwood story got off to an astonshing and powerful start. It’s the Children of Earth story, a serial in five parts broadcast every night this week.

I read a preview comparing it with Midwich Cuckoos, but that’s just because both stories have kids. Children of Earth has a very bold and, in my view, pretty damn original story premise, and is wonderfully written by Russell T. Davies himself, who is in top form.

It’s a rollercoaster experience, with great digressions, and full of hallmark Russell T. humour.

I also love the way Russell T. embraces the concept of TV in-joke. When I first started working in television, I was told in no uncertain terms that TV scripts should never reference other TV shows, because audiences found it ‘weird’. Russell T. gloriously ignores this rule, and I laughed out loud when Eve Myles called out ‘What’s occurring?’ to an acquaintance, in a broad Barry accent. This of course is a hommage to Ruth Jones’s charcter in Gavin and Stacey, whose catchphrase is taken from Arthur Daley’s favourite phrase in Minder (‘What’s occuring Tel?’) Experts call this metatext; I call it bloody great.

I love the 5 part serial structure of this show – The Art of Deception was broadcast on Radio 4 in that format, albeit in shorter 15 minute episodes. It means that Torchwood: Children of Earth is a bona fide TV event. And in these bleak times for British TV – when successful and much loved shows are being axed by ITV for financial reasons – it’s great to see the BBC can bounce back with such vividly popular fare.

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3 Comments

sam

Posted July 7, 2009 at 11:06 AM

No disrepect at all to Eve Myles herself (or to be precise, the character she plays- Gwen Cooper) for uttering the line “What’s occuring?”, but all I can say is that if you think she’s got a Barry accent then you’ve never been to Wales.
If you want a Barry accent, then Ruth Jones’ Nessa is perfect. Eve Myles’ character’s (must stress Eve herself is probably only doing what was asked of her as an actress and doing it well. She’s a trained actress whose own personal valleys accent has been no doubt modified) accent is valleys Welsh and absolutely irritating to the nth degree.
Yes, us Welsh people all sound like that. Not.

Sorry, but I think you missed the point there…! Eve is doing a swift impersonation of Ruth Jones when she uses Nessa’s catchphrase ‘What’s occuring’. Hence, for two words, her accent is a Barry one.

Eve’s natural Welsh accent is a joy in my view…I’m Welsh and actually we all sound different, depending on geographical area.

Enjoyed Ep 2 even though it wasn’t by Russell T. Ep 3 tonight!

Paul

Posted July 28, 2009 at 6:01 AM

Well for what it’s worth, I’m an American fan of Torchwood and Gavin & Stacy, and we caught the joke and liked it too. Not that I can identify the accents accurately, we realized that it was a clever gag. The question is when do Gwen and Rhys have time to watch Gavla when she’s so busy saving the world?!